Urban Legends
by Majokai Yukiko
Summary: *Updated* 2nd story in the series. In the cafe down the street, the man kept waiting. Waiting for the lover that could never come. Zack + Sephiroth
1. The China Mist

The China Mist

A FFVII Fanfiction by Majokai Yukiko

This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft. 

This story is set in an alternate universe. In other words, the plot of the original does not apply here. 

Pairing: Zack + Sephiroth, Cloud + Tifa

Warnings: Shounen-ai. Some parts of the story may be disturbing to the faint hearted. 

Author's note: The idea for this story is taken from one of the more obscure urban legends I've heard of when I was a child. (I still am one, but fine, I'm fifteen, explains?) Heartfelt thanks to my mum for repeating it to me again, not knowing what the hell I'm going to do with it. 

(By the way, I need a beta reader. Someone who is efficient in editing checks his/her inbox regularly and does not mind yaoi/shounen-ai. Interested, please email Majokai Yukiko at quasar@animetarot.com

The blond young man stood breath taken at the docks, inhaling the salty scent of the sea breeze as he marveled at the sheer size of the liner before him, The China Mist. The brunette girl beside him smiled, excitement evident on her face, as she tugged gently at her boyfriend's sleeves. 

"Let's go, Cloud." She urged, wanting to go onboard the ship and explore its interiors. It was summer holidays for the young couple and both of them had decided that going on a week long cruise on one of the finest liners in the world was definitely a good idea. 

"Alright, Tifa." Cloud grinned, allowing the girl to pull him up the ship when he noticed a tall figure on the starboard. The lone figure stood silently, long white hair dancing gracefully with the wind as he surveyed the waves with sad green eyes. 

"Cloud, hurry up! What are you looking at?"

"Sorry…" He muttered an apology and walked up the steps, turning back to take one last look at the strange man. 

But he was gone. 

***

The China Mist was indeed a fine liner. Cloud realized, stretching his back tiredly as he walked across the starboard towards the railings at the side of the ship. Tifa was still enjoying herself watching the Chocobo races. She did not mind when Cloud left her lone, knowing that the blond man needs sometime along once in a while. 

He sighed softly; leaning against the metal and watching the stars wink at him from the night sky. 

"Is this railing taken or you don't mind if we share?" A rich baritone sounded behind him. Cloud jumped slightly, turning around to face the same white haired man he had seen in the morning. 

"Erm..no, it's okay." Cloud stammered. The other man raised an amused eyebrow but said nothing in reply, only to walk up and rest his back on the railings. Beside Cloud. 

The blond went back to his star gazing, occasionally darting to glance at the man next to him. On closer look, Cloud realized that this man had a sort of beauty no female could rival. The pale white skin seemed to glow in the silver moonlight, casting an ungodly hue on his already angelic face. With those haunted green eyes closed and those lips tilted upward slightly in contentment, the man had lost much of the forlorn appearance that Cloud saw in the morning. 

An eye opened when he noticed Cloud's gaze on him. "What's wrong?" He asked. Straightening upright, he dug into his pants for a lighter as he pulled out a cigarette from his shirt pocket. 

"You want one?" He offered, holding out the cancer stick, which Cloud politely refused. "Thought so," he murmured, taking a deep breath of the tobacco smoke, watching the gray mist formed and dispersed as he exhaled. 

"I saw you this morning. Standing here." Cloud started, not knowing his reasons for doing so. The white haired man smiled sadly in reply. 

"He was always asking me to come out more often, and meet more people, not cooped up with him in the cabin room all day." The white haired man smiled sadly in reply. 

"'He'?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, Zack. My lover. Not sure about what I am to him though." He watched the weak orange glow at the end of his cigarette wistfully, before flicking it overboard and letting it dance with the waves below. 

"I've got to go back now. My name's Sephiroth and it's a pleasure meeting you." Sephiroth pushed himself off and walked towards the staircase leading down tot eh cabins. 

"Nice to know you too. I'm Cloud."

Sephiroth turned around briefly and continued his stride. "Goodnight then…Cloud."

***

Cloud was almost shivering in anticipation when he reached the starboard that night. Sephiroth was already there, taking a long drag on his cigarette and watching the cold dark waters below. 

"You should stop that, you know." Cloud advised, frowning disapprovingly. Green eyes filled with puzzlement before he realized where or what the frown was directed at. 

"Oh, this." Sephiroth replied, almost bored as he ignored the advice and inhaled another breath of cigarette smoke. There was an awkward silence between them, before Sephiroth spoke up again. 

"Zack said the exact same time as you did. 'Seph, go and get a life', 'Seph, can't you wear something other than black?' 'Seph, smoking is bad for health,' yada yada." Sephiroth let out a laugh, amusement dancing in those beautiful eyes before fading back into their familiar sorrow. "But he don't understand."

"Zack…your lover…" Cloud wrung his hands nervously. "You said he have got to go stay in his room all day. Why is it so?"

Sephiroth sighed, pondering on how to answer that question. "Well…" Cloud waited, silently urging to continue. "I…he was handicapped when we were working with the army. Negligence on my part." Emerald eyes darkened as Sephiroth hastily brushed away the tears that were threatening to fall. 

"You know, it's not healthy cooping up like that. Perhaps you can bring him out here tomorrow night, enjoy the fresh air and all that." Cloud almost cried in relief when he saw the other man's face beginning to lighten up. He had not known Sephiroth for more than a few hours in total, yet every time he saw the heart aching, haunted look he felt the urge to want to wipe it off the beautiful face. He was attracted to Sephiroth; he had to admit. But it was not the same way he was attracted to Tifa. What he had felt for the pale man was something else all together…almost paternal. 

"…And you should really stop smoking when Zack's around. Passive smokers usually get it much worse than the smokers themselves." Sephiroth bit his lower lip and looked away, something akin to regret and guilt was reflected visibly on his face. 

"Will…will you be here tomorrow? I'll see if he wants to be out here."

"Of course! I'd love to see the man you are so obviously madly in love with!" A pink tinge colored his cheeks as Sephiroth quickly made his way back to the cabins. 

"See you tomorrow night then, Cloud. And…thanks."

***

The mist was light when Cloud made his way to the dinner room. But by the time he was out of it, the mist had thickened to a dense fog. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should make his way back to his cabin for an early night, return to look for Tifa in the arcade, or try his luck at the starboard. 

But would Sephiroth bring Zack out in this weather? He contemplated. The final decision was that he would rather be disappointed than to be branded as someone who had broken his promise in Sephiroth's mind. 

Cloud hurried to the starboard, not bothering to take note of his surroundings until he knocked into something. Or rather, someone in a wheelchair, sitting alone in the fog and watching the swirling mist. 

"Sorry…I didn't see you." Cloud apologized. The man on the wheelchair turned around, offering a warm smile. 

"It's okay. The fog's bloody heavy tonight…I was half expecting this ship to go down with it." Cloud took the time to study the stranger. His long black hair cascaded down and past his shoulders; dark hazel eyes twinkled with cheekiness as he winked mischievously. But the one thing about this man that had caught Cloud's attention was the pair of severed legs discreetly hidden under a dark brown blanket. 

"Zack, what did I say about saying things that might bring bad luck?!" A familiar voice shouted from behind. Sephiroth adjusted the blankets, frowning as he did so. 

So this is Zack. Cloud realized with astonishment. He had expected to see an ill-tempered gaunt man with dead looking eyes. But this Zack he saw…was anything but unhealthy. In fact, if he had not noticed what was under those sheets, he would not be surprised if Zack suddenly gets out of the chair and race him back to the cabins. 

What an interesting pair they make. Sephiroth, with his long white hair and pale skin, was light, while Zack, with his tanned complexion and raven hair, remained content as his lover's shadow. 

"I don't know." Zack smirked. "Wanna remind me again, Seph?" 

The white haired man ignored him. 

"Hi, Cloud." Sephiroth greeted casually. Zack perked up at his words, bending as far forward as his chair would allow, studying the blond man in detail. 

"So, you are the Cloud Sephiroth had been talking about." Turning back to his lover, he continued. "Seph," he started in mock hurt. "Is there something you have to tell me?" Sephiroth sighed in exasperation. 

"Whatever…" He said, walking back to the interior of the ship. 

"That's cruel," Cloud bit his lower lip and stared at the dark haired man, speaking up for the first time since he found out Zack's identity. "What is Sephiroth to you?"

Sephiroth's love for Zack was obvious, as much as he tried to be subtle regarding the matter, the attention and concern he showered upon the man could make anyone envy, and at the same time, wonder about how a love so strong could remain so constant. Zack? Cloud could see friendship, but somehow, the relationship never went beyond that. 

"What do you think he is to me?" Zack rebutted. 

"I don't know." Cloud admitted. "Well, for the past few days, the way Sephiroth has been talking about you, you are definitely more than a friend to him. He loves you, that's as far as I can see. I don't know about things on your side though. And neither does he, I think."

Zack leant back against the cushions of his chair, silently analyzing the blond man's words. 

"The two of us grew up together. Well, we were never very close as kids. He was the quieter kind, preferring to practice swordplay in his own backyard than to be like the rest of those in the village, who goes up to the nearest mountain and hunt for monsters. But then, we were the only two who made it into the army at the end." 

"It was in the army that we got close, looking out for each other's back and all that. Seph became the General later, and I was made his second in command. Hell, we were definitely more than that. We share the same room, the same bed etc. But…even so, there was this part of him that he tried to hide away from me. Like, he never told me what his nightmares were about, never told me why he hates it when I trace that scar across his torso…there was so much about him I don't know. And now…I sometimes really wonder if he was staying with me out of guilt."

"What…what happened?" Cloud prompted, his gaze falling on Zack's legs unconsciously. Zack shrugged casually. 

"It was a mission that went terribly wrong. We assumed that the damn monster was dead, until that damn thing got me, chewing off my legs and slowly moving upwards. Seph had to cut my legs off and kill the guy before he got the rest of me. It was his fault as much as mine, but it seems that he had been taking the full blame of that all along."

"I quit the army after that…well, they don't need a lieutenant without legs. But Seph quit with me and we've been going on cruise after cruise after cruise, trying to sort things out."

"You are afraid." Cloud placed a hand on Zack's shoulder as the man buried his head into his hands. 

"Very. I'm afraid to wake up one day, and realize that he left me. Afraid that I'd lost him to someone that could offer him much more than I could. Someone who is healthy, energetic and…can give him what he needs in a partner."  

"But he never left you, and had never thought about it." 

"Bless him for that." Despite his desire to keep alert, Zack seemed to have grown tired and was involuntarily looking around for Sephiroth. Cloud wrapped his fingers around the handle of the wheelchair and pushed Zack towards the door. 

"Tell him. Tell him how much you need him. Sometimes things like these help, superficial and impractical as it might sound, he needs the assurance once in a while. The confirmation that you **want** him to be around."

***

A scream could be heard along the corridors when the duo entered. Brown eyes widened in fear as Zack gripped the sides of his chair tightly. He recognized that voice behind the scream. 

The ship's bell chimed loudly as the captain's voice came over the intercom. 

"Cloud," Zack turned around in his seat. "Go up to the deck and check out what happened. I can get back to the cabin myself"

"What's your cabin number?" Cloud asked, panic slowly making his way into his voice. The floor was jerking violently as they spoke. 

"340, now GO!" 

***

Cloud barely made it up to the foredeck when he banged into Sephiroth. There was a look of hysteria in those calm green eyes. The face was ashen, looking as if the man was going to faint anytime. 

"Sephiroth! What's happening?"

But the man seemed to be trapped in whatever nightmare he was in, pushing Cloud away and rushing down to the direction of his cabin. 

"No…not again…not again…" The man muttered breathlessly. 

Shit, Cloud cursed, trying to catch up. What was happening? 

His surroundings seemed to be washed out, leaving his world only in shades of gray as he searched for the door with the number '340' on it. Cloud heaved a sigh of relief when he finally found it, only to realize for the first time that water was filling the ship in a deadly pace. 

"No, you've got to go now. You can still get a lifeboat in time, Seph. Just leave me here." Cloud tried to shout out at the two men in the room, struggling to open the metal door. 

Damn, of all times for doors to be stuck! 

"ZACK!" He yelled. It was like watching a movie. Cloud could hear every single word the two was saying, but no matter how he screamed and banged against the door, it was as if he was not in the scene at all. 

"The door's locked, and I left the key outside." Sephiroth smirked, walking towards the cabinet at the corner and pulling out a small bottle of pills from inside. He poured a few out of the bottle, them to the other man. 

Sleeping pills, Cloud noted. He wanted to die. God, no!

At that moment, Cloud saw something he never expected to see. The dark haired man took the pills from Sephiroth and looked at the door, straight at the blond man and smiled. Grabbing Sephiroth, he kissed him, pouring into the single gesture all the love and passion he tried to keep secret, and forcing him to swallow the sleeping pills at the same time. Green eyes widened, before welling up with tears as the man put his arms around the one he loved. 

I love you too, those eyes had said before giving to the drug in his system and falling into oblivion. 

***

"Sir?" The blond man jumped. He grabbed the deck hand standing in front of him. 

"You've got to save them. Room 340, the ship's SINKING!"

"Calm down, sir. The ship's not sinking! Sir!" Cloud dropped his arms and hastily scanned his surroundings. He was on the starboard, alone. And a quick check told him that the weather was fine, the ship's stable and was definitely not sinking. 

"What happened? Where's room 340?" 

The deck hand looked apprehensively when he saw the look in those blue eyes. 

"Perhaps you should talk to the Captain about this."

***

Fifteen minutes later Cloud found himself in Captain Highwind's private chambers, telling him everything that had happened to him in the past few days, how he met Sephiroth, then Zack, how the lovers stayed together even when the ship was sinking and how Sephiroth chose not to leave even when he could. 

"They weren't real." Cid Highwind told the young man. "There was no Room 340 on this ship, and there was no man named Sephiroth on the passenger list."

"How can it be?!" Cloud insisted. "They are real. Sephiroth might look pale and as if he was…" He trailed off, trying to suppress a shudder as he realized what he was about to say. 

"As if he was dead." Cid finished up the sentence for him. The older man poured them a brandy as he continued. 

"The original China Mist was built twenty years ago. You remember the Wutai war?" Cloud nodded.

"General Sephiroth and Lieutenant Zachary were the heroes of the war, but unfortunately they quit the army after that. After the lieutenant lost both his legs in the accident. They boarded the ship and died when it sunk after meeting with a tropical cyclone. This ship was only built about five years ago."

How could it be? Cloud took a sip of the alcohol to calm him down. "They had been so real."

"You weren't the first one to report seeing Sephiroth and Zack. But it seemed like things were rather different for your case."

"How different?"

"According to the rest, Sephiroth did offer Zack the sleeping pills so that he could die without agony, like what you said. The lieutenant took them and that was all to it. Nothing like what you saw later happened."

_Tell him. Tell him how much you need him. Sometimes things like these help, superficial and impractical as it might sound, he needs the assurance once in a while. The confirmation that you **want** him to be around._

Cloud wiped a tear from his eyes and smiled. 

"Why?" The captain asked. 

"Maybe…" Cloud explained, his mind drifting back to the sweet brunette he had brought along onboard. "They are just waiting for some words to be said."

And down beneath them as they spoke, at the bed of the South China Sea, two bodies lay in peace, fingers clasped around each other as they took their eternal rest. 

~owari.~


	2. Cafe Down The Street

**Café Down The Street | Second Story of the Urban Legends Series**

**A FFVII Fanfiction By Majokai Yukiko**

**This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft**

**This story is set in an alternate universe. In other words, the plot of the original does not apply here.**

Pairing: Zack + Sephiroth 

**Warnings: Not suitable for the easily scared. **

Author's Note: Guess how long I took to finish writing this? I admit it might not be that great, but yah, I took…*counts* I can't remember. I started writing this the same time that I finished writing "The China Mist". Go calculate yourself.

_Here I go again I promise myself_

_I won't think of you today_

_It's been seven months and counting_

_You've moved on I still feel exactly the same_

_It's just that everywhere I go_

_All the buildings know your name _

_Like photographs and memories of love_

_Steel and granite reminders _

_The city calls your name and I can't move on_

_Ever since you've been gone_

The lights go out the same 

_The only difference is_

_You call another name_

_To your love_

_To your lover now_

_To your love_

_The lover after me_

_"The Lover After Me", Savage Garden_

The bells attached to the top of the door jingled cheerily as Cloud pushed open the door. It had been years since he came to 7th Heaven, but the interior of the café had not changed much. The only difference was that a sweet young lady had replaced the old woman who used to stand behind the bar. 

The old ceiling fans still creaked as they moved, as if they had not been oiled after all these years. The soft aroma of homemade coffee still filled the air with the warmth and simplicity of country life. 

This was a place frozen in time, a place where the war could not reached. The café was here before the Shinra war broke out, and it remained standing after that, untouched by its cruel surroundings. For a moment Cloud could not helped but wonder if there was some magical being watching over this place. Of course, that was impossible. He was just being stupid and overly imaginative. 

Also untouched by time, was the white haired man who always sat at the corner, right next to the glass separating the café from the streets outside, the transparent wall which separated dreams and reality. 

Cloud first noticed that man when he was only a young child many years ago. The mysterious man would sit silently at the corner, looking at the streets outside with hopeful anticipation, as if waiting for someone, his lover maybe. 

But he was always alone. Some people would still sit at his table, making jokes with one another. But they never noticed him. Neither did he notice anyone. 

Why was that so? Cloud really had no idea. All he knew was that this man, whoever he was, amazed and intrigued him. 

"May I sit here?" Cloud asked, gesturing to the seat opposite to the mysterious man. From since he first saw him, this was the first time he had the courage to talk to the man. Not that he expect the man to suddenly jump up and bite him like a rabid dog, it was just that…this man…had had a certain aura about him that kept others away. 

The white haired man looked up for a moment, arching an elegant eyebrow in mild surprise, and nodded. 

"That seat is taken, but the person who's supposed to take it, probably won't be here to claim it anyway." 

"Whom are you waiting for?" Cloud asked again. He knew it was rude for him to do so, but his curiosity got the better of him. This man, he thought, had been waiting here, year after year, everyday without fail. But who could have made him done so? Who could have made him waited in vain, time after time and not give up?

"Now that you are here. He'd probably come as well." 

Cloud was taken back by surprise. What had he meant by that?

"What is your name?" 

The white haired man looked like he was about to speak, when Cloud's mobile phone rang. Muttering an apology, the blonde man quickly reached for his phone and answered it. 

"Er…excuse me, is Sephiroth there?" 

"I'm afraid you've got the wrong number. There's no one named Sephiroth here." Cloud replied, slightly irritated by the call. 

_"Oh, it's okay then. Will you ask him to call me when he gets back?" _And that person on the other side disconnected the call. Cloud grumbled something incoherent under his breath as he wondered about the strange phone call. Turning his attention back to the man sitting opposite him, he smiled. But the other man only looked at him coldly in return. 

"That call was for me. I am Sephiroth." The white haired man said, his trembling voice did little to hide his anger. Getting up from his seat, he walked away without a second glance, leaving Cloud alone and puzzled in the lonely café. 

***

The phone rang in the dark living room. Drying his hair, Cloud padded into the living room of his rented apartment. Taking the cordless phone off the hook, he walked towards the window to look out at the café down the street opposite his apartment. 

_"Excuse me, is Sephiroth home yet?"_ It was the same voice that called his mobile in the afternoon. Cloud gritted his teeth in anger and irritation. 

"Sephiroth doesn't live here." 

_"I see. Will you ask him to call me when he gets home? Thank you."_ Once again, the call was disconnected. Cloud blinked, puzzled. 

Outside, a dog was barking at the door of 7th Heaven…when there was nobody standing there in the shadows. 

***

"Your friend called my house yesterday, looking for you." Cloud told Sephiroth when he sat down at the table again the next day. Sephiroth only smiled casually, his green eyes tinkling with a certain light in it. Cloud had never seen that man looking as beautiful as he did then. Unable to tear his eyes away, Cloud could only continue marveling at the presence of such a lovely being. 

That slight smile of his had brightened up the café almost instantly. 

I wonder who could be the lucky one who deserved a smile like this. Cloud thought. 

"Did he say anything?" Sephiroth asked, trying hard not to appear too eager before a man he barely knew. 

"He asked you to call him back when you get home." Cloud said absently, still entranced by the way a smile can do so much to a man. 

"If he calls again, tell him I'm waiting for him outside this café." Getting up, Sephiroth left the shop again even before Cloud had the chance to reply. 

***

That night, Cloud sat next to the telephone after his bath, waiting for the phone to ring. Time passed. Hour after hour the needle ticked off. But the phone did not ring. Just when he was about to give up and go to bed, the long awaited shrill ring shattered the silence of the night. 

Finally, Cloud thought and picked up the receiver. 

"Excuse me, is Sephiroth home yet?" 

"Sephiroth doesn't live here. But he told you to meet him outside 7th Heaven."

"Did he say what time would that be?" 

Cloud startled. Sephiroth did not say anything about the time, nor had Cloud bothered to ask. He had assumed that this mysterious caller, whoever he was would know what the white haired man was talking about. 

The blonde boy shook his head. Realizing that the man on the other line could not see him, he muttered a soft 'no'. The caller kept silent for a while, and thanked him before putting down the phone. Cloud slumped wearily back onto the couch and sighed. So much for wanting to help Sephiroth. 

Suddenly, the phone rang again. 

Outside the café, the stray dogs kept barking at something, or someone, that others could not see. 

***

When Cloud stepped into the café the next morning, the table usually occupied by Sephiroth was empty. Worried, he quickly made his way to the counter and waved his hand in front of the young woman there. 

"Hi, I'm Tifa. How can I help you?"

"Er…do you have any idea where that man with the silver hair went? Did he come earlier today?"

Tifa blinked confusedly at Cloud, not exactly comprehending what the blonde was telling her. 

"There was no silver haired man living in the village."

"He must be. He comes here everyday since I was a kid, but he always look the same though. He said his name is Sephiroth and he sits at that table everyday." Cloud pointed at the table at the corner beside the window. "Surely you have noticed him before."

Tifa formed an O with her mouth, her face blanched into a whiter shade of pale. 

"You saw the General?"

"The General?" Now it was Cloud's turn to not understand the situation. 

"General Sephiroth. The greatest General under Shinra. Sephiroth was the first general in history to ever attain a five-star rank. Unfortunately, he died young. It happened many years ago outside this café."

"He was waiting for someone in this café. But I think they messed up the time or something like that. But anyway, the General got himself dead drunk out of misery. Pretty stupid thing to do when there's a serial killer out on the loose, if you ask me. So he got killed. Older folks say that his lover went to the apartment Sephiroth was living in everyday until he had no choice but to accept that the General is dead. He hanged himself there." Tifa got out from behind the counter and pulled Cloud to the door. 

"There!" Cloud followed her finger and saw that she was pointing to the window of the apartment where he was living. 

"You are kidding." If Sephiroth were dead long before he was even born, why would he keep seeing him anyway? Given that he had spent most of his life outside of the village, so it was no surprise he knew nothing about the folklore of the General. But how could it be? How could it be a ghost he was seeing all these years?

"You said he never aged." Cloud shakily nodded. Then he saw something outside the café that made him push Tifa away from him and ran out. It was Sephiroth. 

Under the sunlight, the General looked even more elusive and beautiful than ever. There were dark circles around his eyes, those that you get when you had not enough sleep the night before, but even that did not mar the man's angelic beauty. 

"Hello, Cloud." The man, or wraith, greeted. There was a sad look on his face. Once again, Cloud wondered about the validity of Tifa's statement. How could a ghost possess so much emotions and hurt? 

"Okay, tell you what, Sephiroth. Zack called last night and I realized that you didn't tell him what time to meet."

Bright emerald eyes widened in shock, then realization followed by a soft sheepish smile. Almost immediately, the hurt evaporated from the man.

"Tonight, at ten. Right here." Cloud reached out his hand and gently swept a lock of silver hair from the man's face. "I'll tell him that. So keep waiting."

"And don't get drunk!" He added. 

***

"Hey kitty, kitty." A deep voice chuckled. Cloud walked into his apartment to see a man with long dark hair on his sofa. A cat that Cloud had never seen before had settled itself comfortably on the sofa too, enjoying the feel of the man's thick strong fingers stroking its fur. 

"Hey. Where is Seph? Folks said he's dead. But his cat is still here so I don't believe them. You have any idea where he is?"

The man turned back to the cat and lifted it up to place it on his lap, where he could pat it better. 

"My name's Zack. Have you seen Sephy?"

Cloud could not say anything. The cat jumped off Zack's lap and walked towards him, sniffing suspiciously before vanishing into thin air. The blonde man looked up and nearly screamed. Zack was pale, his outline shimmering slightly in the evening sun that managed to peek through the curtains. 

"Tell me if you do know, Spike. 'Cause I don't have much time left."

Cloud stared at the clock. It was four. Still six hours before ten and he doubt he had any idea where Sephiroh might possibly be. Zack was vanishing…fast. His time was indeed running out. A look of panic and desperate anguish crossed his handsome face. 

"Hurry," he whispered. Zack raised his arm and stared down at himself in horror. 

"Sephiroth is dead." 

Cloud had no idea why he said that. Or why he had not told Zack about the time Sephiroth wanted to meet him. Was it better for him to give up hope totally, or suffer the pain of knowing that he would meet his lover if he could?

Cloud did not know, nor did he stay to find out. 

A silver tear trickled down Zack's cheek. Silver, the color of Sephiroth's hair. 

"Thank you."

That night, stray dogs once again barked loudly outside 7th Heaven. But Cloud did not stay to find out. 

As he packed his bags to leave his hometown once more, he wished the two ghost lovers best of luck, hoping that one day, they would meet again. Till then, 'good bye' Cloud whispered to the wind. 

End of Café Down The Street 


End file.
